Unhealthy levels of air in Twin Cities and central Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Now, it's finally time to talk about (and watch) the games.

The first matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America kick off Thursday with Mexico vs. South Africa and South Korea vs. Czech Republic. The first game for the United States will be against Paraguay on Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

This summer, 48 men's national teams will compete in the World Cup's biggest tournament ever. You can find all of NPR's World Cup coverage over the next six weeks in our series 

. But here are a few of the basics to get you started.

The first round, also known as the group stage, will run through 

. There are 12 groups consisting of four teams each, and each team will play against the other three. The top 32 countries will advance.

How are the teams ranked? Well, winning a match = 3 points; a draw = 1 point; and a loss = nada. The top two teams of each group will make it to the next round, as well as eight of the best third-place teams.

Once that's settled, it's time for the knockout phase. This is when the tournament starts to become a real nail-biter. From here on, the result of a single match will determine each team's fate. First, 32 teams will face off between 

. Then, the remaining 16 teams will compete from 

. A match to see which team places third will be on 

 is still available to watch the games in person. Ticket prices, however, remain high.

For those planning to watch at home, Fox has exclusive English-language rights to broadcast the World Cup in the United States.

That means, if you have cable, you should be able to access the games for free as long as Fox and Fox Sports' cable channel FS1 are included in your TV package. (Some matches will air on Fox and others on FS1. 

For those planning to stream, the games will be available live and on demand via the Fox One app with a paid subscription. Meanwhile, with a free sign-in on Tubi, a streaming service owned by Fox Corp., you can watch the opening ceremony and two early matches: Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11 and the U.S. vs. Paraguay on June 12.

For fans looking to watch the games in Spanish, Telemundo will air 104 matches, through either its main channel or a secondary network, Universo. All of Telemundo's coverage will be carried live and on demand on Peacock with a paid subscription.

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic

Group B: Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey

Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium. Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Even before the opening ceremony, this World Cup will be one for the history books. That's because of its sheer scale. For the first time, the tournament will be played across three host countries. A record 48 countries will compete — up from 32 — in 104 matches. That includes four debutants: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

Also for the first time, the final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium field in New Jersey (known as New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament), will feature a 

 with headliners Shakira, Madonna and BTS.

And a new rule means that any player who covers his mouth during

a confrontation with an opponent may be penalized with a red card, which results in immediate dismissal from the field and suspension from the subsequent match. 

 is meant to prevent athletes from using discriminatory language during games. It also says a red card may be given to any player who leaves the field in protest of a referee's decision.

In World Cup history, only eight teams have ever won: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Uruguay, England and Spain. All of these countries (with the exception of Italy, which didn't qualify this year) are considered major contenders this summer.

Many fans are especially feeling good about 

 and, specifically, its 18-year-old player, Lamine Yamal, who is quickly moving up in the soccer world as one of the greats. Others are eyeing 

 for its strong cast of players, like Kylian Mbappé and last year's Ballon d'Or winner, Ousmane Dembélé. Then there's 

, the reigning champion. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who is now captain of the MLS team Inter Miami, returns for his sixth World Cup. If the country goes all the way, it will be the first back-to-back World Cup victory since 1962.

Sports

Juliana Kim

Author

This summer, 48 men's national teams will compete in the World Cup's biggest tournament ever. Here are a few of the basics to get you started.

The World Cup is starting. Here's what to know and how to watch

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox